Reading Essay Questions

The approach to an essay question is basically the same approach as what we should use to respond to a math word problem (In fact, I would argue that a math word problem is a math essay). Take the following math word problem:

John lives near Knoxville. His aunt lives 220 miles away near Atlanta. A safe driver, John averages 55 mph when he travels to his aunt's. John plans to visit his grandmother this weekend. He will leave at 8 a.m. When will he arrive?

Step 1 - Identify the givens

The first thing to do when working a math word problem is to identify the givens, the mathematical data that we can use to find the answer. Notice that as a rule, the givens are provided in the statements in the word problem. In this essay we are given the following:

220 miles = distance he will travel
55 mph = rate at which he will travel
8 a.m. = departure time

Step 2 - Determine the unknown

The second thing to do is to determine what it is you are to find. Notice that we are told what it is we are to find in the question part of the word problem. In this essay we are to find John's arrival time.

Step 3 - Decide how to manipulate the givens to get the unknown

Because mathematics is about relationships and patterns, we know that if we have been given enough information of the right sort, we can manipulate mathematically what we know to determine what we don't know. In mathematics, formulas are patterns for manipulating data. For instance, for any rectangle, no matter how large or how small, we can determine the area if we know the value of the length and the width because a pattern exists that relates lengths and widths to areas. The formula is A=lw. If we look at this problem, we can discover two sets of formulas that apply:

d=rt (the distance travelled is equal to the rate travelled multiplied by the time travelled)

T_A=T_D+t (the arrival time is equal to the departure time plus the total time travelled)

Step 4 - Solve for the unknown

When we solve these two formulas by inserting our givens and working through the mathematical procedures, we end up with the following:

220 miles = 55mph(t)
220 miles ÷ 55 mph = t
4 hours = t
8 a.m. + 4 hours = 12 p.m.

The procedure followed is the same for an essay. Take the following essay question:

The stereotypical American family, in the tradition of Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver, was characterized by a working father, a homemaker mother, and several well-behaved children. How is your family similar to or different from this once typical American family?

Step 1 - Identify the givens

In an essay question, you are given the topic of your essay. In this essay we are being told about the stereotypical American family. This is the topic we are writing about.

Step 2 - Determine the unknown

In an essay question, the essay asks us to focus on a particular idea in relation to the topic. This focus is the purpose for our essay or the reason we are writing about this topic. Our purpose will determine our thesis. In this essay, the focus or purpose for writing is to demonstrate how the writer's family is similar to or different from the stereotypical family.

Step 3 - Decide how to manipulate the givens to get the unknown

Formulas in mathematics reveal the relationships between numbers. In writing, we are looking at the relationships between concepts or ideas. In writing, we refer to these various relationships as modes: narration, description, example, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, classification/division, and so on. These modes determine how we are to manipulate information in our essay. In this essay question, we are asked to find the similarities or differences, so we will use the comparison/contrast mode.

Step 4 - Solve for the unknown

Once we know what we are to write about, why we are writing about it, and how we are to put our ideas together, we can come up with a thesis statement and brainstorm ideas to fit. In a timed essay, brainstorming and clustering are the best methods for gathering details because because brainstorming allows the writer to gather a large number of details quickly and clustering can be used to group those details into clusters to be developed into paragraphs.

Organization of a Timed Essay

Introductions to Timed Essays

The introduction to an essay is supposed to provide a thesis for the essay and a context or background (lead-in) for the thesis. Since the essay question does the same thing, you can rewrite the essay question, in your own words, into your introduction. For example, using the above essay question, the following might serve as an introduction:

Back in the 1950's and '60's, the typical American family could be seen every day on television. Shows like Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, or Dennis the Menace showed happy households where the father worked a nine to five job, coming home every day in his business suit. The mother met him at the door, smiling with supper waiting, the house neat and sparkling, the wife looking like she was ready to go out to dinner. June Cleaver actually met Ward at the door wearing her pearls and nylons. These homes usually had one to three children, who if they were sometimes mischievous, were basically well-behaved. My family was nothing like that. My parents were divorced; my mother worked evenings in a factory, and my five brothers and sisters and I were latchkey children who roamed the neighborhood after school each evening.

Notice that the introduction to the essay restates the same ideas in the same order as the essay question.

Body of Timed Essays

In a timed essay, the Five Paragraph Essay with a three-part thesis statement in the introduction provides a convenient structure for students to use for planning their essay and managing their time. Knowing that the essay will contain three body paragraphs, students can pace themselves as they write. The key thing in any timed essay is to have a clear sense of what you want to say which you have organized around subtopics which can serve as the focus of paragraphs in support of your thesis.

Conclusions to Timed Essays

The main thing to keep in mind when concluding a timed essay is to keep the conclusion short and to the point. If you are running out of time, write a one sentence paragraph conclusion.

Timing and Pacing

In general for a timed essay, spend one-third of your time planning the essay (Stages 1-4), one-half of your time writing the essay (Stage 5), and one-sixth of your time proofreading the essay (Stage 6). That means that in a fifty minute essay, you should spend fifteen to twenty minutes planning the essay, twenty-five minutes writing the essay, and five to ten minutes proofreading the essay.

The biggest problem for people in a timed essay is controlling their pace. Just like runners in a distance race, some people sprint out of the starting box and run out of energy before the end, others do not get moving steadily and may not finish, while others pace themselves to do their best. In a timed essay, you must pace yourself, allowing time to plan the essay, to write the essay, and to proofread for errors. As a rule, spend one-third of your time planning the essay and writing the introduction, one-half of your time writing the body and conclusion, and one-sixth of your time proofreading.

If you find that you are racing ahead, you may not be spending enough time brainstorming details for the body of your essay. You may also be making careless mistakes. You may even be panicking, which can lead to serious mistakes. Relax and pace yourself.

If you find that you are falling behind, focus on writing clear sentences and don't worry overly much about style. Teachers focus primarily on clarity in the timed essay and not on some of the other aspects of language like powerful word choice or complex sentence structure. Obviously, a timed essay with these features will generally be a better essay, but an essay with good details which makes its point clearly and with few or no grammatical errors will make a solid grade. If you find yourself running out of time, abbreviate your final paragraphs, write a very brief conclusion (1-3 sentences), and wrap up your thoughts.

General Advice

• Introductions: Place the thesis after the lead-in. Keep the introduction brief and to the point (three or four sentences including the thesis).
• Organization and Development: Identify groups of details when prewriting and organize these into paragraphs within the body of the essay. Begin each paragraph with a clear topic sentence. Include general details, which are supported by specific examples, which are illustrated by concrete examples (see Five Paragraph Essay handout).
• Length: Avoid body paragraphs which are 1-4 sentences long. Either develop additional ideas as support or combine ideas from smaller paragraphs into larger paragraphs.
• Conclusions: Don't anticipate the conclusion of the essay. Be sure the essay is fully and completely developed before moving toward conclusion, and then keep the conclusion brief.
• Proofread carefully focusing on your habitual errors. Look for patterns that fit the places you normally have difficulties.
• Avoid conversational language and language patterns, including slang phrases.
• Spend enough time prewriting to generate plenty of details for the body paragraphs.
• If you aren't sure of what to say, invent something plausible. Remember that in our classes, we are not grading the essay based on your knowledge of the subject but based on your handling of the subject. If you can't readily think of experiences that you have had which fit the question, invent some that sound reasonable. (Note: Inventing materials is unacceptable in most classes where you are being evaluated on what you know. It is also unacceptable for the research paper.)